A review by simply_sam
Homebound by Lydia Hope

4.0

This was not a 'fun' sci-fi romance. In fact, there's very little light to be found. It's overall pretty dark, and it's hard to imagine any happy endings. The overall atmosphere is one of cold, depression, and helplessness. Gemma seems to suffer one bad turn after another. It's impossible not to sympathize with her and, at the same time, to wonder how she's going to make it from one day to the next. Simon was something totally other: a catatonic husk of an alien who Gemma was drawn to from the beginning and then made her mission to care for. What began as glimpses of awareness finally bloomed into full consciousness as Simon healed under Gemma's gentle ministrations. I held on to hope for Simon and Gemma, as they navigated their developing awareness of one another and what it meant. It wasn't an easy process, and, as others have said, it ends somewhat abruptly. It's a happy enough ending, though there are still so many things that could have been explored. Maybe the author will revisit this world someday.